Fall Mantel Decor with Plum & Pumpkins

Hello, fall. (Finally!) And hello, friends. I’m PUMPED to share my fall mantel decor with you today. I’ve teamed up with Carrie from Lovely Etc. along with many other talented bloggers to share our fall mantels with you. If you’re ‘hopping’ in order and coming over from A Fresh-Squeezed Life, welcome! Isn’t Randi’s fall mantel beautiful? I love her decorating style. Make sure to check out the rest of the fall mantels that are linked below, too.

This year, I couldn’t decide between a pumpkin or cascading floral theme. And as they say: when in doubt, do both. Just kidding. They don’t say that. But I do. 😉

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my full disclosure.

I’m going to get real with you today. Instead of telling you about each of the fall mantel decor pieces I used, I’m going to tell you about my mantel mishaps, because, well, I think it’s important that you know the real life of a blogger. Plus, it’s just more entertaining…and I know how you like to be entertained.

Related:

• Muted DIY Pumpkin Hack Using Dollar Store Pumpkins
• 10 Gorgeous Fall Mantel Decorating Ideas You’ll Want to Copy
• Spring Mantel Display with Cascading Florals

So here goes: One month ago (yes, in August, you did the math right), I started decorating for fall. Wait, time out. Real question: How early is too early to start decorating for fall? This has nothing to do with me.  I’m just asking for a friend. 🙄 Comment below though and tell me your thoughts on this.

Anyway, as I was saying, last month I started decorating my home for fall, and I decided to put together a transitional fall mantel. In this case, transitional just means no pumpkins. I left out the pumpkins because I thought, too soon, Marly, too soon. Starbucks hasn’t yet released its pumpkin spice latte (which happened on August 28th if you’re curious to know). So, I had to wait until August 28th before adding any pumpkins. I know, my logic is spot-on.

Fall Mantel Decor Attempt #1

Here’s what my fall mantel decor looked like in August (we’ll call this attempt #1):

It worked for a week or so. But then, I just wasn’t feeling it. The wreath wasn’t working for me, which is unfortunate because I actually DIY’d that wreath. I got out the hot glue gun and everything. I even talked about it in my Instagram stories. And then, a couple days later, I ripped off the hot glued stems from the wreath because I wanted to use them in a different way on my mantel. All that work for nothing. Real life though. Can I get an amen?

To be fair, I did determine early on that this would just be a transitional fall mantel. I knew I’d be changing it later.

After I took down every decor piece I put up (except the mirror), I started again.

Fall Mantel Decor Attempt #2:

As you can see below (we’ll call this attempt #2), my stems resurrected under the naked grapevine wreath.

I also added a ton of decor on the hearth. At this point, I liked where it was headed, but it was still a no-go.

There just weren’t enough pumpkins. There just weren’t. Plus, my two year old was having a field day with all the decor on the hearth. It just wasn’t practical. And us mamas gotta be practical. Can I get’a hat tip this time?

At this point, I ran down, no – more like jogged down, to my basement to scavenge it for ALL THE PUMPKINS. Luckily, I have accumulated quite a few faux pumpkins over the years. Last year I spray painted them all white and silver. I wanted a more natural look this year, so instead of buying new pumpkins (‘cuz ain’t nobody got money for that!  That’s a lie, many people do. I digress), I bought a couple of those squeezable plastic paint bottles from Michael’s (you know what I’m talking about, right?) and dubbed that following Tuesday craft day with my daughter.

This is what the pumpkins looked like before craft day:

Here’s how I got them looking like a more natural muted green tone.

And, as you saw earlier (Scroll up. Better yet, just look below for reference.), this is what they look like now. I kept some of them beige just to bring a little more color to the pallet.

And below is a close up of the pumpkins on the left side of the mantel, because I like to be thorough in my decor documentation.

I added minimal decor to the hearth this time around. My daughter hasn’t rearranged it quite as much as before. Can you believe those cream berry steams in the lantern are from the dollar store? It’s true. And so are many of the plum berry stems on actual mantel. And those long faux eucalyptus stems? Those were only $3/stem! I especially love them because they are really long, so they cascade well over my mantel.

Fall Mantel Decor Attempt #3 – Full View

Here’s how my fall mantel decor looks all together (completed attempt #3):

So there you have it: I decorated my mantel for fall not ONE, not TWO, but THREE times. Third time is a charm, and I know they say that!

Make sure to check out all the other beautiful fall mantels below!

Neutral Fall Mantel Decor from Thrifty and Chic

Wood Fireplace Mantel Decor from My Creative Days

Neutral Fall Mantel Decor from All Things with Purpose

Simple Fall Mantel: Decorating Around the TV from Lovely Etc.

A Mantel All Dressed Up for Fall from A Fresh Squeezed Life

Fall Mantel from A Brick Home

Classic Fall Traditions Mantel Decor from Houseful of Handmade

A Neutral Fall Mantel from Newly Woodwards

Quick and Easy Fall Mantel Decor from Happily Ever After, Etc.

Dollar Tree Pumpkins for a Neutral Fall Mantel from Create and Find

Upcycled Fall Mantel Decor with Flowers, Books, and Pumpkins from Twelve on Main